United States Marine Corps

FIRST
LIEUTENANT JOSEPH JAMES BOTTALICO, JR was born on February 3, 1920 in
Haddonfield NJ. He grew up in Camden NJ, where his family lived at 816
South 5th Street. His father worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Joseph Bottalico Jr. attended Burrough Junior High School in Camden, and
was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, where he was a star
athlete, and was the captain of the football team. While in High
School, he served a two year term in the National Guard, from 1937 to
1939.

Joseph
Bottalico obtained a
scholarship to Brown Prep, and had enrolled at William and Mary, also on
scholarship, in
Williamsburg VA when the war broke out. He enlisted while at William and
Mary, and was activated as an aviation cadet in June of 1942. His
pre-flight training was done at Athens GA, where he was ninth in his
class. He had been sent to the Anacostia Naval Air Station in Washington DC
for preliminary flight training in August of 1942, according to the September 2, 1942
edition of the Camden Courier-Post. The Courier reported on February 2,
1943 that he had been sent to the Naval Air Station at Pensacola
FL for flight training. Upon completion of this training Joseph J.
Bottalico Jr. was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United
States Marine Corps.

On December 18, 1943 it was
reported in the Camden Courier-Post that he had been promoted to First
Lieutenant, and that his brother PFC Nicholas Bottalico was with a Marine
aviation unit at Pollocksville Field NC.

Joseph
J. Bottalico Jr. trained
as a bomber pilot, and went overseas as a member of Marine Bomber
Squadron VMB-612 in May of 1944, flying North American PBJ-1H bombers,
the naval version of the B-25 Mitchell bomber. He was killed with 4
others of his crew when his aircraft #35239 crashed near the end of the
runway when flying off of the newly captured island of Iwo Jima on April
20, 1945. By the time he was killed he had logged over 1200 hours of
flight time. During the Iwo Jima operation he had flown 25 missions
against the island prior to its capture, and his group had sunk 25
Japanese ships during this operation. Another Camden man also served
with VMB-612. Technical Sergeant Frank
Brown was lost in July of 1945 when his plane failed to return from
a bombing mission.

Joseph
James Bottalico, Jr. was survived by his parents,
who lived at 816 South 5th Street in Camden NJ, two sisters, and four
brothers. His brother, Nicholas,
who was also in Marine Aviation aboard a carrier in the Philippines at
the time. After the end of
hostilities his body was brought home, and he was buried at New Camden
Cemetery in Camden NJ on April 17, 1948.

Camden
Courier-Post - February 12, 1938

NAME STUDENT AIDES AT WOODROW WILSONAssociation Groups, Girls' Sports Managers Are Appointed

Student Association committees for the new school term have been appointed recently at
Woodrow Wilson High
School. Managers of girls' sports also have been named for the Girls' Athletic Association at the school.